Student Council's plan to construct a 16-foot white, marble column student memorial outside Newcomb Hall was scaled down after input from the Board of Visitors.
"Originally, we planned a column to go outside Newcomb Hall to honor people who have died while being a student of the University," College Council Rep. Tom Gibson said. "We wanted something big."
In a meeting last week, though, University officials halted Gibson's plans, citing cost and tradition.
"It would have been horrendously expensive, and the building of that monument would not have been in tradition with the architecture of the University," Secretary to the Board of Visitors Alexander "Sandy" Gilliam said. "As planned, it was not in accordance with tradition."
Gilliam added the Board agreed with the sentiment driving the creation of the memorial.
"The idea behind the memorial is an exemplary one," Gilliam said.
Gibson expressed frustration with the Board's decision.
"The BOV wouldn't approve it," Gibson said. "They said that the architecture of the University is very subtle. They saw the column we designed as being too showy."
He said he and a team of Architecture students had worked out and presented an intricate plan to the Board.
"We had plans worked out for design, cost and weight," Gibson said. "The Student Council voted unanimously in favor of the memorial, the Parents Program gave us $8,000 dollars in funding and Newcomb Hall gave us $2,500 dollars. We were already halfway to the full cost of the memorial."
Gilliam said the Board provided suggestions to Gibson for the memorial.
"If students want to put up a monument, we suggested a plaque or something in the pavement," he said.
Gibson said a plaque was not what he had envisioned.
"I was very disappointed to hear that such an important issue would be downgraded to a plaque or benches," Gibson said.
Council President Noah Sullivan said he still is optimistic about the memorial.
"It's a learning process," Sullivan said. "We've been through it once, and now we know more about what works."
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